Not Blogging And Other Random Thoughts.

I missed my Monday blog...twice. So today is a Tuesday blog. 

The holidays are over, the tree is finally down, the yard is raked, and I'm not writing and I'm not taking pictures and I'm not riding motorcycles.  I think about all those things a lot, but mostly what I'm doing at the moment is living and working. Obligations are taking the front seat right now, as they should.  Other than that, things are moving forward swimmingly. 

Who designs television remotes? They intentionally make them small, dark colored and easy to lose. Dumb. 

There is a special place in hell for those who drive slow in the left lane. 

How is pork considered a lean meat? Have you seen pigs? If I was eaten by cannibals, would I be counted as a lean meat on their Noom? Oh, the thoughts a writer has at 3 am. 

Random thoughts on the news media:

Don't trust news sources that have headlines like, "10 Things You Need to Know...". They're not telling you the news, they are telling you how to think.
If your news source spends most of their programming day with talking heads in little boxes, don't trust them - they are just entertainment.
If the news corporation is owned by or owns  purely entertainment media outlets, they are entertainment in news clothing. Don't trust them. 
If the vast majority of their "reporters" hail from the same few journalism schools or mostly from only one region of the country, don't trust them - they likely lack diversity of thought and life experience.
If you can't find a reporter's by-line on the news story, don't trust it. Its probably been copied from another source or written by a bot.
If you think you've heard it before, you probably have. Copy and do a word search on any part of the story and you'll see most online news outlets run the same story, word for word. Unless it says "AP" or some other news service on the by-line, don't ever use or trust that news outlet again. 
If the news outlet runs stories on the latest sightings of Bigfoot, aliens, Loch Ness, Elvis, or the infamous "Bat Boy", you can trust it.  They are some of the best reporting on the planet. 
 If reporters from a news outlet routinely move between working for government and private media, depending who is in the White House, or are married or related to politicians or high government officials, don't trust them. 
If you have to dig more than two paragraphs to find the factual meat of a news article, don't trust it. 
If the news outlet echoes the government instead of challenging the government, its not news. It's propaganda. Don't trust it. 
If you can't tell the difference between commentary and hard news, don't trust that media outlet. 
If the news channel runs 24/7, don't trust them. They will fill their programming day with entertainment which will compromise the news. 
If the news media outlet feels too patriotic, don't trust it. 
If the news media outlet virtue signals, don't trust it. 
If a news story uses routinely polarizing adjectives regarding any person, don't trust them. 
If  you think a news story or event is profoundly news-worthy, yet its suspiciously not being covered by a news outlet, don't trust that news outlet. 
If you're wondering why a news outlet keeps harping on a story far more than you think it should be covered, and you can't for the life of you figure out why they are spending so much time on it, don't trust that news outlet. 
Pay attention to who the editors and producers of news outlets are, not necessarily the reporters.  That will begin to tell you what the news outlet is truly all about  Better yet, pay attention to parent companies and owners.  You will get a better idea of who to not trust, or trust. 
Follow reporters on social media. Watch what they post. You will get a better idea of who to not trust, or trust. 
If a article sounds suspiciously slanted, look at that reporter's past articles. You will quickly get an idea of their agendas. 


Just looked at the clock, gotta go to work.